But an increase in energy level towards the end of the first half helped spark the Cougars (22-4) in a 51-42 victory over the Missiles that sent them to Friday's 1A Forreston Regional championship game.

Eastland closed the first half on an 11-2 run, capped by a Skylar Paulson buzzer-beater, and scored the first eight points of the second half to take control of the game for good.

"We talked at halftime that our biggest concern was our energy level," Eastland coach Tony Dunlap said. "We spent the last few minutes of the first half getting our energy level where it belonged and we had to go there or higher the rest of the game."

Eastland kept it up after halftime, and while Milledgeville (21-5) never went away, the Cougars never relinquished the lead.

"Energywise I think they were on a higher level than us in the first half," said Eastland senior Dalton Shaner, who scored a game-high 20 points. "I think we closed (the first half) pretty good. I think that last-second shot really boosted us so that second half I thought we came out with more energy and executed better."

The Missiles struggled with rebounding and turnovers early in the second half, which played a role in them falling behind the Cougars. They turned it over five times in the third quarter when they were outscored 12-5. Milledgeville tried to battle back from a nine-point deficit in the final quarter but couldn't get closer than three.

"I can't say enough about our kids," Milledgeville coach Brian Rahn said. "We got down and we weren't done. We kept pushing. That's a testament to them and that's part of the reason they've been successful is there's no quit."

Aquin 44, Polo 39

After brutal first half shooting the ball put the Marcos (23-6) in an 11-point halftime hole, Polo staged a terrific third-quarter run that gave them a lead heading to the fourth. But the Bulldogs (24-5) had just enough in them to survive and pull out a gutty victory to advance to the title game.

"Every game is do or die so survive is the right word," Aquin coach Rich Chang said. "I think that's what happened to tonight."

Aquin used a 9-0 fourth quarter run to turn a three-point deficit into a six-point lead with two minutes left. After the Marcos countered by scoring the next five points to pull within a point at 40-39 with 43 seconds left, the Bulldogs came up with some clutch free throws and one very big offensive rebound.

With the ball and nursing a one-point lead with under 25 seconds left, Andrew Martin missed a jumper, but Anthony Townsend was there to corral the clutch offensive board and Polo was force to foul him with only 19.3 on the clock.

"Andrew's been hitting that shot all season so I said if he gets it he's got to take it," Chang said, "You can't play scared we've got to go out and win the game and then Anthony flying through and getting that rebound that was huge and that was the difference."

It was the difference after Townsend calmly sank both free throws to put his team up by three.

"I didn't play too well offensively so I figured I needed to step up now," Townsend said. "It was my time."

After Polo missed its final shot at tying the game on a 3-pointer, Martin was there to pull down his game-high 12th rebound with under five seconds remaining. He then iced the win with two more free throws. Martin finished with 14 points, second-most behind Aiden Chang, who poured in a game-high 20. And it was Chang's 3-pointer from well beyond the arc with 4:32 left that gave the Bulldogs back the lead for good.